Dear Passion and Fire family,
We’re moving into a season of family as we get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving here in the states and then Christmas. Many of us look forward to being together as family, but there are quite a few people that don’t. Let’s be honest, you may be one of those that struggles. You may have a family member or members that you don’t enjoy being with. There’s always that person or persons in our lives that are the EGRs (extra grace required ones). Maybe they don’t think the way you do. Maybe they’re boring, or loud and obnoxious to you. Or maybe you don’t like their lifestyle or they yours. Or perhaps the problems are even bigger than that. But the Lord loves families. In fact, family was his idea!
As I thought about some of the struggles of being family and all of our differences and nuances, I heard the Lord say, “I am going to take back the house.” And I knew that He was saying that He had plans to take hold of our families and households. It’s time for prodigals to come home & the distant ones (that are at home) to have their hearts healed.
And so, I asked the Lord, “How are you going to do this?” And I remembered the story of Moses and how the Father used him to lead his family (the Israelites) out of Egypt. And so today I hear Him saying, “I am going to use you in the same way.”
The Father God said to Moses, “I’m going to deliver Israel from the slavery of the Egyptians, now I want YOU to go! You will lead them out.” The Father is going to deliver our households as He gets ahold of us. He will lead them out of the enemies’ hands as we step into His heart for them.
Like Moses in Genesis 3:1-17, we need the burning bush experience. For as His love burns within us, we’re even able to love the EGRs. For as Moses was commissioned, so we’re being commissioned to make a difference.
And by the power of Holy Spirit we will become the change agents in our families that we’re crying out for.
Recently I had a prophetic dream of the tornado scene in the Wizard of Oz. I saw the house, turning around and round in the midst of the cyclone until it finally fell back to earth and landed upon the head of the wicked witch. And I heard the Lord say that He is about to reverse the tables on the enemy. For as we sincerely lift our hearts in prayer before the Father for our family members and walk in obedience to what He tells us, our circumstances will begin to turn around. For “Tremendous power is about to be released through your passionate heartfelt prayers!” James 5:16.
It’s time to picture yourself as a holy priest of the family. Like the High Priest of Israel, you must wear the breastplate over your heart and carry the needs of your family before the throne. Your intercession will take a different tone as you begin to see yourself as a priest seated in heavenly places. From there you have the authority, the revelation and the Father’s perspective. As you allow your heart to be lifted up before the presence of the Lord, your righteous prayers will bring heaven down, crushing the enemy in the process. For the enemy may have crushed your heal early on, making you stumble over things along the way, but this is today and that was then. For now it’s the time to crush His head (Gen. 3:1) under your feet.
“And the God of peace will swiftly pound Satan to a pulp under your feet! And the wonderful favor of our Lord Jesus will surround you” Ro. 16:20
And the Father will reveal secrets to you. And I heard the Words, “Yes, you can!” And then I heard it again, but with two extra words added on the front end; “With a Yes, you can! For I am going to reveal the yes in the spirits of your family members and you will know how I am going to touch them. As you pray for that ‘yes’, the destiny I have set for them, you will begin to see results. It’s time to see your family differently and with a new perspective. It’s time for you to call out the ‘yes’, the redemptive things you see in them. For they each carry gifts and callings that I gave them from birth. Call them out! Call those things which are not as though they are.
“God can raise the dead and call into being things that don’t even exist yet. ”Romans 4:17
As they begin to see that we care about what concerns them, and demonstrate it through our words and actions, then we will begin to have in-roads into their lives.
I remember when one of our congregants came to me and said, “I notice that you and your family are always saying I love you to each other. My father has never once said I love you to me. I wonder if he really does?” And I said to him, “Have you ever told him? Why don’t you tell him first?” It wasn’t long after that he came back to tell me that once he said, “I love you dad!” his father started saying it back to him all the time. Those three words brought a miracle breakthrough in their relationship.
How about you? I wonder who is waiting for you to say those three little words. You may be waiting for them to move first, but what if they’re waiting on you. Father God didn’t wait for us to express our love to Him first, but He first loved us and we finally caught up.
1 John 4:19 “Our love for others is our grateful response to the love God first demonstrated to us.”
As you have your family gatherings this holiday season here are some scriptures to help you on your journey.
Col. 3:13, “Be gentle and humble, unoffendable in your patience with others. Tolerate the weaknesses of those in the family, forgiving one another in the same way you have been graciously forgiven by Jesus Christ. If you find fault with someone release this same gift of forgiveness to them.”
Prov. 21:23, “Watch your words and be careful what you say, and you’ll be surprised how few troubles you’ll have.”
Prov. 16:24, “Nothing is more appealing than speaking beautiful, life-giving words. For they release sweetness to our souls and inner healing to our spirits (and our families).”
It’s time for redeeming love; a love revival! You’ll be amazed at what can happen! Revival can start at home, with family.
Miracle breakthroughs are being released to you and through you! Get ready for Father God to do miracles in your household by this Christmas as you take this to heart! Amen!
